1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to golf-swing training, and more particularly to methods and devices for training the users to keep their heads level during their stroke.
2. Description of Related Art
Hitting a golf ball straight and true is difficult and requires skill. Fundamentally, if the ball is to fly off the tee straight, the club that hits it must also be squarely aligned. This, of course, depends on how well the golfer has swung the club. Golf-swing training therefore has the goal of getting the golf balls to fly on the intended straight course, and to put enough power behind the contact to make the ball fly the required distance.
The prior art has approached golf-swing training in a number of different ways. John M. Siddall describes a mirror that attaches above the face of a golf club, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,095,930, issued Aug. 1, 2000. The mirror is set at 45-degrees and reflects the target downrange up to the golfer""s eyes. A sight-hair indicates how square the club face is to the downrange target.
Theodore J. Staats describes a restraint that keeps the user""s left pectoral muscle and right forearm at a constant separation distance, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,529,306, issued Jun. 25, 1996. The object is to develop a proper torso twist motion and proper geometry between the arms and body of the golfer during the swing.
Pete Pahio, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,895,328, issued Apr. 20, 1999, describes an accelerometer that attaches to the club to measure the centrifugal force developed during the swing. An audible signal is electronically generated at various preset force levels. Such allows a user to train for repeating a !particular golf-club swing speed. A consistent swing allows for greater control.
Frank A. Latella describes using large, soft balls held between the knees and under the arm pits of golfers to improve their swing, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,176,790 B1, issued Jan. 23, 2001. Holding the balls this way between the limbs is said to restrict movement during the swing and promote desirable muscle-group stretching and training.
The development of so-called muscle memory is described by John Carr, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,325,727 B1, issued Dec. 4, 2001. The viscosity of water in a swimming pool is used to slow down and increase resistance of a paddle that simulates a golf club. The increased effort required to swing this while neck-deep in water is used to work the corresponding muscles all that harder.
Some training devices have been directed to keeping the head of a golfer level during their swing. Roger David Socci describes a helmet in U.S. Pat. No. 6,331,168 B1, issued Dec. 18, 2001. Such helmet has electronic level sensors and will emit audible tones the golfer can use as positive or negative feedback.
A head movement detector for golf swing training is described by Max T. Sabour, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,577,729, issued Nov. 26, 1996. This device attaches a free-standing crane on a floor stand to a cap worn by the golfer-under-training. Excessive head movement during the swing is monitored and reported.
A very complex apparatus is described by G.M.T. Jenks, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,737,432, issued Mar. 6, 1956. A lot of machinery is attached to a golf club and the machinery swings the club through the correct arc. The golfer hangs on and tries to sense how a correct swing proceeds by feeling how the machine does it.
A golf training apparatus that is worn around the neck and connected to a floor plate held under both feet is described in two United States Patents. G. F. Fisher describes one in U.S. Pat. No. 3,442,513, issued May 6, 1969, that runs a cord from a noose around the neck, through a slip ring on the front of a waistbelt, through another slip ring on a floor plate, and back up to an anchor point on the waistbelt. The second patent, by Douglas Schaus, U.S. Pat. No. 3,677,551, issued Jul. 18, 1972, describes a base plate connected to a neck loop by a flexible link.
Briefly, a method and device embodiment of the present invention comprise wearing a harness that resembles a loosely worn necktie with a long tether down to a footplate. The tether length is adjusted for the desired neck and head level of the golfer while standing on the footplate. Then during a golf-club swing, the device restrains the user from lifting their neck and head too high. It also will slacken when the neck and head have dropped too low. The slack and tension are used by the golfer as feedback to develop a correct swing by keeping the neck and head level throughout. After a number of repetitions with the device, the golfer is thereafter able to repeat the control and discipline learned without restraint. A better golf performance results.
An advantage of the present invention is a method and device are provided for improved golf performance.
Another advantage of the present invention is that a method and device are provided that are simple, inexpensive, and effective.
A still further advantage of the present invention is that a golf-swing training device is provided that is compact, light, and easy to carry.